Matt Lerschen took the road less traveled on his way to becoming a presence in the hospitality industry. Before recognizing his affinity for the sector, he worked for a large, publicly-traded company, managing multiple departments. But he was ready for a career change, and wanted to put his project management skills to use in his own business. So he launched a digital marketing company, focusing on small to mid size businesses throughout the Silicon Valley.

That led to Mr. Lerschen becoming a recognized expert in promoting — you guessed it — the hospitality industry, where he created the online presences and branding of hospitality properties.

One of his clients was Daulat, a multi-national investment firm that held several hotel properties among its assets, including Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, OYO Hotels, and Best Western, as well as verticals from QSR to technology. Before long, Daulat’s CEO, Rick Mirza, recognized Lerschen’s skills extended beyond the marketing side of things, and made him Vice President of the company’s hospitality division.

“I had been working in the industry, gaining experience and training when Daulat became my client,” Mr. Lerschen said. “After a year of being his consultant, I got an offer from Rick to become their hospitality VP. Naturally, I was excited to jump deeper into a growing category, and to have a direct effect on this dynamic company’s future.”

The role places Mr. Lerschen at the head of the division, where he runs internal operations, specializing in hotel development and management. He has visibility into hotel acquisitions as well as overseeing quality control and compliance for properties in the Daulat portfolio. Mr. Lerschen will be instrumental in helping Daulat raise additional capital in 2020 and beyond to increase its hospitality footprint.

“I’m excited because I believe this is an ‘evergreen’ category. People will always want the hotel experience — to be taken care of, pampered, and served, no matter what their income level is,” Lerschen said. “And although travel can be cyclical, there will always be the need for business stays, vacations and tourism. We see tremendous opportunities around the world.”